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It looks like the quarterback carousel in Philadelphia is about to be back in action. The talk has been running rampant for quite some time, and reports suggest that the Philadelphia Eagles are calling an end to the Michael Vick Experiment. The Eagles are reportedly likely to move on with rookie signal-caller Nick Foles for the remainder of the year.
Report: Eagles likely going with Nick Foles in Week 9, benching Michael Vick.
— Michael Fabiano (@Michael_Fabiano) October 29, 2012
Whether or not this is another attempt by head coach Andy Reid to save his hide, this is a move that has to be made for the good of the franchise. Vick is simply not playing at a high level, and hasn’t for quite some time. He holds on to the ball entirely too long, has difficulty diagnosing defenses and just seems tentative. That is a recipe for disaster in the NFL.
Based on his responses to some questions asked in Sunday’s postgame press conference, Vick seems to have resigned himself to riding the pine in the future. That’s also not something that anyone wants to see out of their “franchise quarterback.” A true leader on the team would be kicking and screaming and fighting to keep his job, not accepting his fate as a backup.
Reid has been a staunch supporter of Vick since he arrived in Philadelphia, but even he apparently realizes that this situation just isn’t working. Despite all of his loyalty to Vick, “Big Red” knows that he has to do what is best for his career and right now that is benching Vick in favor of Foles.
Even though Vick did not turn the ball over at all (for once) against the Atlanta Falcons, the Eagles’ offense did not look good. Some of the offensive woes are on the shoulders of the coaches calling the plays. At the same time, much of the blame must be attributed to Vick.
I, for one, am excited for this new chapter. Foles can’t realistically be a downgrade at the quarterback position based on Vick’s performance over the first seven games of this season. Standing 6’6”, Foles is a big quarterback with a big arm. In addition, he has a good mind for the game, which is something the Eagles have been lacking at the QB position.
I’m not saying that Foles is going to come in and lead the team to nine straight wins, but I do think that if he is given the opportunity, he will succeed. The franchise will be glad that they made this move. Plus, they get to shed Vick’s contract and use that to upgrade the team at other positions.
One cannot help but wonder what ramifications this is going to have to the rest of Vick’s career. Are there really any teams out there that are willing to pay top dollar for a 32-year-old quarterback who has taken the physical beating that Vick has? Add in the fact that he’s losing his job because of subpar play, and it doesn’t look good for him.
I’m not sure Vick’s ego will allow him to sign on somewhere as a backup. He is clearly a great athlete, but he just doesn’t have what it takes to be a top-tier NFL quarterback anymore. The question is whether or not he knows that and if he is willing to admit it to himself. Considering the knocks on his preparation in the past, is a franchise with a young QB going to take the gamble to sign him as a backup knowing that he could impart his bad habits on their franchise quarterback? Probably not…
You can view all of Carl’s RantSports articles here and follow him on Twitter @CarlConrad81.
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